Aptis and Kops Bio Sign Agreement for Next-Generation DAC Development

Aiming to Develop New Cancer Therapies
Based on Linker and Payload Technologies

On November 26, Aptis and Kops Bio announced that they had signed a business agreement for joint research on next-generation Degrader-Antibody Conjugate (DAC) new drugs. The purpose of this agreement is to combine the expertise of both companies to develop innovative DAC therapeutics.

Choi Hwangun, CEO of CapsBio (left), and Han Taedong, CEO of Aptis (right), are taking a commemorative photo after signing a business agreement for joint DAC new drug research. Aptis

Aptis possesses technology that enables the precise conjugation of degrader drugs (payloads) to antibodies based on its third-generation site-selective linker conjugation platform, AbClick®. Kops Bio is a new biotech venture specializing in the development of covalent inhibitors and molecular glue degraders. Through its proprietary chemoproteomics platform, RaPIDome, the company has the capability to discover new targets and design degradation mechanisms (payloads). DACs are next-generation anticancer drugs that combine antibodies with drugs designed to degrade specific target proteins in cancer cells.

Through this MOU, the two companies plan to jointly develop DAC candidates for the treatment of solid and hematologic cancers by combining Aptis’s linker and conjugation platform with Kops Bio’s expertise in degrader drug design.

This collaboration is highly anticipated as it brings together antibody-based delivery technology and protein degradation therapeutic (payload) technology. In particular, it is noteworthy because it enables a shift from conventional ADCs (which induce cell death) to therapeutics that eliminate target proteins.

Han Taedong, CEO of Aptis, said, “We are very pleased to collaborate with Kops Bio, which possesses unique technological capabilities in the field of protein degrader new drugs. Aptis, which has been recognized for its technological competitiveness in the global ADC market, will do its utmost to accelerate the establishment of a world-class DAC pipeline through this partnership.”

Choi Hwangun, CEO of Kops Bio, stated, “Aptis, with its third-generation site-selective linker conjugation platform, is the ideal partner in the DAC field, which has the potential to overcome the limitations of existing anticancer drugs. By combining Kops Bio’s expertise in targeted protein degradation with Aptis’s proven linker technology, we aim to accelerate the development of ‘First-in-Class’ new drugs that can provide new treatment options for patients suffering from intractable cancers.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.